Manuka Honey Makers: The Helicopter Pilot

Due to the remote location of our Manuka Honey beehives, we need a little help to place them, as we have to do this by helicopter.

Luckily, we can rely on skilled helicopter pilots like Paul Greene to lift the hives into the stands of the flowering Manuka Honey, during New Zealand summertime.

Using helicopters is the gentlest way to do this, and it’s important that we protect the bees. As we do not need to cut tracks for vehicles to use, damaging the natural landscape there is minimal disruption to the natural ecosystem. 

We first met Paul in 2020 when he worked on some conservation work alongside Toby and he makes sure he is always carefully prepared for any journey:

“My morning starts at 4am, checking the weather and making sure myself and the team are all good to go.”